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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. game — a match
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. row — a line
  6. file — a line of people
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. file — a document
  12. stem — to come from
  13. file — a tool
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. row — to paddle
  20. season — of the year
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stand — to bear

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