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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mate — to breed
  3. stem — to come from
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. ground — crushed
  6. suit — in cards
  7. march — the month
  8. lean — thin
  9. ground — a position
  10. row — to paddle
  11. march — the month
  12. lean — to bend
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mate — a partner
  16. row — a line
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. march — music
  21. ground — the earth
  22. suit — clothes
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mate — a friend

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