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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. last — final
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fall — to drop
  5. net — in sport
  6. last — finally
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. net — for catching
  10. fall — the season
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. content — happy
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pound — a weight
  18. season — of the year
  19. content — the amount
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. net — after costs
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. last — to go on

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