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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. current — of water
  3. chest — of your body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. current — electric
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pit — in a race
  10. kid — child
  11. chip — to eat
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chest — a box
  18. chip — for betting
  19. kid — to tease
  20. current — happening now
  21. season — in sport
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. safe — out of danger

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