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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. fine — all right
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. season — in sport
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. staff — employees
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fine — a penalty

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