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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — low music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — an amount
  18. season — of the year
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — from a university
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. stem — to come from

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