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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. foot — a measure
  10. season — in sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wake — a trail
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. stem — to come from
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rash — a series
  23. season — of the year
  24. stem — of a plant

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