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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pit — in a race
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cue — a signal
  6. season — in sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — to eat
  14. capital — a city
  15. wind — moving air
  16. capital — money
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. deal — to handle

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