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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. field — for sport
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. field — farmland
  10. chest — a box
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stem — to come from
  22. field — a subject
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mate — a partner

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