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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. field — farmland
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. season — of the year
  5. stem — to come from
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. season — in sport
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fall — the season
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pit — in a race
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stem — a stem cell

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