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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 120 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. season — in sport
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. swing — music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stem — to come from
  15. swing — to play on
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pop — soda
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pop — music
  24. swing — in golf

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