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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. suit — in cards
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — in biology
  10. suit — clothes
  11. race — a contest
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. deal — to handle
  14. race — humankind
  15. suit — to fit
  16. chest — a box
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. stem — to come from
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. season — in sport
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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