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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. cold — an illness
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. foot — a measure
  8. season — in sport
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fine — all right
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. clip — a video
  24. cold — not warm

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