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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. race — humankind
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. present — the time now
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stem — to come from
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. present — there
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. race — a contest
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mate — a friend
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mate — a partner
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. sharp — clever
  22. present — a gift
  23. race — the arms race
  24. date — the fruit

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