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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — clever
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. charge — electricity
  10. net — in sport
  11. board — to get on
  12. rest — a break
  13. net — for catching
  14. season — of the year
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. charge — a price
  17. net — after costs
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. season — in sport
  21. charge — in control
  22. degree — temperature
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. degree — from a university

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