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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. suit — clothes
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. suit — to fit
  6. stem — to come from
  7. row — a line
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pit — a hole
  11. season — in sport
  12. capital — a city
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. suit — in cards
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kick — in football
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. row — to paddle
  19. season — of the year
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pit — in a race
  23. capital — money
  24. row — a quarrel

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