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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. current — of water
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pound — a weight
  11. current — happening now
  12. squash — to crush
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. season — in sport
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. toast — bread
  24. current — electric

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