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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mark — a grade
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. season — of the year
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. mark — a trace
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fork — in a road
  19. season — in sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pit — in a race
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. kid — to tease
  24. snap — to click

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