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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. clip — a video
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. season — of the year
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rash — hasty
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. face — part of the head
  17. clip — for paper
  18. charge — a price
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stem — to come from
  21. charge — in control
  22. face — to confront
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. racket — for tennis

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