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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. face — to point toward
  14. land — a country
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fine — all right
  18. face — to confront
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fine — high quality
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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