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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. season — of the year
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. firm — decided
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. season — in sport
  18. firm — steady
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. firm — a company
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pit — in a race

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