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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. season — in sport
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mate — to breed
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. track — a path
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mate — a partner
  13. track — to keep track
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. season — of the year
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bat — the animal
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. track — a song
  24. season — to add flavour

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