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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · cap · club · stem · arm · date · kick · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cap — of ice
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cap — a hat
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. club — for golf
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stem — to come from
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. cap — a lid
  17. kick — in football
  18. game — a match
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. season — of the year

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