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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stem — to come from
  3. spring — the season
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. spring — of water
  9. fine — all right
  10. fork — in a road
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ball — a dance
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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