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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. capital — money
  3. board — a committee
  4. key — for a lock
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. capital — a city
  8. face — to point toward
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. face — to confront
  12. last — finally
  13. board — to get on
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. face — part of the head
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. key — in music
  20. field — farmland
  21. last — final
  22. key — the most important part
  23. last — to go on
  24. jam — a tight spot

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