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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stem — to come from
  5. charge — in control
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — in sport
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. board — to get on
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. cap — a lid
  13. charge — a price
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cap — of ice
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. field — farmland
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. season — of the year
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. board — a committee
  24. cell — a phone

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