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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. last — to go on
  3. squash — the sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. squash — to crush
  15. season — of the year
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. season — in sport
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stem — a stem cell

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