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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. shower — rain
  4. net — in sport
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. key — for a lock
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. key — in music
  13. board — to get on
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. key — the most important part
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. board — a committee
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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