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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ground — a position
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ground — crushed
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. spring — the season
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spring — a coil
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spring — of water
  21. charge — a price
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. charge — in control
  24. chair — a leader

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