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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. sharp — clever
  3. season — of the year
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. season — in sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. shower — to wash
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. shower — rain
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  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