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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mug — to rob
  3. season — in sport
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stem — to come from
  6. band — a music group
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — a country
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ground — a position
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. ground — crushed
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mug — a face
  20. season — of the year
  21. band — a ring
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. mug — a cup

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