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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lean — thin
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. sharp — clever
  10. key — for a lock
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. degree — temperature
  16. key — in music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stem — to come from
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lean — to bend

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