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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 124 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mate — a partner
  6. game — a match
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cap — a hat
  10. object — an aim
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. object — a thing
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. object — to protest
  17. cap — a lid
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cell — in biology

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