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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — a subject
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stem — to come from
  9. present — a gift
  10. hand — help
  11. net — after costs
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rest — a break
  15. suit — clothes
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. field — farmland
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. field — for sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. suit — to fit
  24. hand — in cards

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