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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. net — in sport
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. press — a publisher
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. net — after costs
  14. press — to push
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. net — for catching
  20. scale — in music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. press — newspapers
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. safe — out of danger

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