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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 120 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. track — a path
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ground — a position
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. swing — music
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. season — of the year
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rule — a law
  19. land — a country
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. swing — in golf
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. track — a song

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