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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. season — of the year
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pit — in a race
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rest — a break
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. season — in sport

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