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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wake — a trail
  5. swing — to play on
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stem — to come from
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. swing — in golf
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. board — to get on
  17. swing — music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. board — a committee
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. mate — a partner

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