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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stem — to come from
  6. season — in sport
  7. game — a match
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cap — of ice
  11. staff — employees
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cap — a lid
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. snap — to click
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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