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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 124 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — employees
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. season — of the year
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. press — newspapers
  11. season — in sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. press — to push
  16. fall — the season
  17. deal — to handle
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — a city
  20. staff — a stick
  21. press — a publisher
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. capital — money
  24. cell — in biology

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