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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. capital — money
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rock — a stone
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. court — for sport
  10. rock — music
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stock — goods
  16. season — of the year
  17. court — of a king
  18. stock — shares
  19. court — of law
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. season — in sport

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