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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. season — of the year
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bat — the animal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cell — a phone
  13. season — in sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. can — a tin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. can — a tin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cell — in biology

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