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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · lie · spring · rule · key · cell · rush · net

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. spring — of water
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rule — a law
  7. key — for a lock
  8. net — for catching
  9. roll — a list
  10. key — in music
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. roll — a cake
  15. net — after costs
  16. cell — a phone
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spring — the season
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rule — government
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. net — in sport

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