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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. season — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fine — all right
  6. rash — a series
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rash — hasty
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pop — to visit
  18. season — of the year
  19. vault — a safe
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pop — soda
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pop — music
  24. stem — to come from

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