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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. track — to keep track
  3. staff — employees
  4. chip — for betting
  5. staff — a stick
  6. object — a thing
  7. stem — to come from
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. object — an aim
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. season — of the year
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — a path
  16. season — in sport
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. track — a song
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stand — to bear
  24. chip — to eat

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