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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. club — a group
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. shower — rain
  7. cell — a phone
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ball — a dance
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cell — in biology
  14. club — for golf
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chip — for betting
  17. season — of the year
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. club — for dancing
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. chip — to eat

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