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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. snap — to click
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. lie — to recline
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. season — in sport
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cell — a phone
  17. key — for a lock
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. season — of the year
  23. pit — in a race
  24. coach — a trainer

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