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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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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. object — to protest
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. hand — in cards
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. object — an aim
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cue — for pool
  13. hand — help
  14. cue — a hint
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — a thing
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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