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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stem — to come from
  3. march — music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. club — for dancing
  6. march — the month
  7. fine — all right
  8. dip — to sink
  9. club — a group
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. present — a gift
  13. lean — to bend
  14. present — the time now
  15. season — in sport
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. club — for golf
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. present — there
  22. lean — thin
  23. march — the month
  24. dip — a sauce

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