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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. board — to get on
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spell — letters
  6. pit — in a race
  7. field — for sport
  8. pit — a hole
  9. field — a subject
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. field — farmland
  17. spell — magic
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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