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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. land — ground
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. kid — child
  5. rock — a stone
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pass — a permit
  9. fine — high quality
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rock — music
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. season — of the year
  18. stem — to come from
  19. season — in sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. land — to come down
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. land — a country
  24. kid — to tease

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