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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spell — letters
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pitch — completely
  9. present — the time now
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wound — an injury
  13. present — a gift
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. fine — all right
  17. present — there
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. spell — magic
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stem — of a plant

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