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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. key — in music
  9. object — an aim
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — a partner
  15. field — a subject
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mate — a friend

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