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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. season — in sport
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mug — a face
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mark — a trace
  12. season — of the year
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chest — of your body
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. net — after costs
  23. mark — a grade
  24. chest — a box

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