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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 found your soul ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stem — to come from
  3. spell — a short time
  4. roll — a cake
  5. spell — magic
  6. board — to get on
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mate — a friend
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chest — a box
  11. spell — letters
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. lie — to recline
  14. court — of law
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. chest — of your body
  17. roll — a list
  18. court — of a king
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. board — a committee
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. court — for sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. chest — of your body

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