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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pop — music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — to confront
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mate — a friend
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ground — crushed
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pop — soda
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mate — a partner
  24. face — to point toward

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