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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ground — a position
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mate — to breed
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — of the year
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stem — to come from
  17. court — of law
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. vault — a safe
  20. season — in sport
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. court — for sport
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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