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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. land — to come down
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. spell — letters
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. craft — boats
  16. season — of the year
  17. spell — a short time
  18. land — ground
  19. spell — magic
  20. land — a country
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cold — an illness
  23. season — in sport
  24. craft — a skill

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