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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fall — to drop
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cap — a lid
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. season — in sport
  22. fall — the season
  23. season — of the year
  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