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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. face — part of the head
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cell — in biology
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rush — hurry
  12. tube — a container
  13. face — to confront
  14. spell — letters
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rash — a series
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spell — magic
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com