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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. firm — a company
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. swing — in golf
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. swing — music
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. swing — to play on
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. firm — steady
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. firm — decided
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bound — certain

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