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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. key — for a lock
  7. kid — child
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mine — for digging
  15. season — of the year
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rush — hurry
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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