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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. season — in sport
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. suit — clothes
  5. mug — a cup
  6. capital — money
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stem — to come from
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. suit — in cards
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. season — of the year
  16. hand — help
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. foot — a measure
  20. snap — to click
  21. capital — a city
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mug — to rob
  24. foot — part of the 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