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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bulb — for light
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stem — to come from
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ground — a position
  16. stand — to bear
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. kid — child
  23. ground — the earth
  24. foot — a measure

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