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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stem — to come from
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. track — a path
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fine — all right
  9. track — a song
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rest — a break
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mate — a partner
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. season — in sport
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fork — a garden tool

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