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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. spring — of water
  5. last — to go on
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rock — music
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mate — a partner
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spring — the season
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. last — finally
  19. rock — a stone
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. mate — a friend
  22. last — final
  23. cell — in biology
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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