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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cell — a phone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cell — in biology
  8. race — a contest
  9. mark — a trace
  10. face — to point toward
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. face — part of the head
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. season — of the year
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. face — to confront
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spring — of water
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — the season

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