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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rash — a series
  6. cell — in biology
  7. file — a tool
  8. game — a match
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. present — there
  12. season — of the year
  13. cue — a signal
  14. file — a document
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. present — a gift
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. present — the time now
  22. land — a country
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rash — hasty

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