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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: date · hand · lash · season · deal · mouse · roll · cell

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. deal — to handle
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. date — the fruit
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hand — help
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. roll — a list
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. hand — in cards
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lash — an eyelash

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