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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 120 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: cell · face · march · spell · safe · season · cue · stick

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. spell — a short time
  3. season — in sport
  4. march — music
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cue — a hint
  9. march — the month
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cell — a phone
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. face — to confront
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. season — of the year
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cue — a signal
  24. march — the month

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