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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cold — an illness
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cold — not warm
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cell — in biology
  10. can — to be able to
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. can — a tin
  18. craft — boats
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. craft — a skill
  23. can — a tin
  24. mouse — the animal

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