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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rush — hurry
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fine — all right
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. season — of the year
  8. stand — to bear
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mate — a partner
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. season — in sport
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. stand — on your feet

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