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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. court — for sport
  5. field — for sport
  6. pass — a permit
  7. snap — to click
  8. court — of a king
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. field — a subject
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. field — farmland
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. season — in sport
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — of law
  19. season — of the year
  20. pound — a weight
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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