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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mark — a trace
  4. craft — boats
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. press — to push
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — newspapers
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mark — a grade
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pit — a hole

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