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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mate — a friend
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. season — in sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. race — humankind
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mate — a partner
  16. ball — a dance
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ground — the earth
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. season — of the year
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stand — on your feet

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