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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. season — of the year
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — a hole
  6. ball — a great time
  7. season — in sport
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chest — a box
  10. last — to go on
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. last — finally
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mark — a grade
  20. last — final
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wake — before a funeral

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