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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. season — in sport
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stem — to come from
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. craft — boats
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mark — a grade
  20. hand — help
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. season — of the year
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cold — an illness

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