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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. lie — to recline
  3. land — a country
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hand — help
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. scale — in music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — ground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rock — a stone
  16. land — to come down
  17. scale — size or range
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rock — music
  20. season — of the year
  21. hand — in cards
  22. season — in sport
  23. chair — a leader
  24. hand — part of the body

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