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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — in sport
  7. rock — music
  8. firm — a company
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rock — a stone
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. firm — steady
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ball — a great time
  19. season — of the year
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. firm — decided
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rush — hurry

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