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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stem — to come from
  3. squash — the sport
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. kick — in football
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. current — electric
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. sharp — clever
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — wild animals
  16. current — happening now
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. current — of water
  22. dip — to sink
  23. game — a match
  24. squash — to crush

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