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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. season — of the year
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. foot — a measure
  22. season — in sport
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lie — to recline

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