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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. land — a country
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. land — ground
  7. mug — a face
  8. stem — to come from
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. snap — to click
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. season — in sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. season — of the year
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mug — a cup

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