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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 116 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. squash — the sport
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cue — for pool
  17. game — a match
  18. season — in sport
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cue — a hint
  21. season — of the year
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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