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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mate — a friend
  5. season — in sport
  6. cell — in biology
  7. season — of the year
  8. mate — a partner
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. lie — to recline
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mate — to breed
  20. hand — help
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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