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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. spring — of water
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — the season
  9. pit — a hole
  10. spring — a coil
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. stem — to come from
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bat — in an idiom

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