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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fine — all right
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. present — there
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — in sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. hand — help
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. present — a gift
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — of the year
  22. march — music
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fine — high quality

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