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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. game — wild animals
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rule — government
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. clip — a video
  16. game — a match
  17. bear — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rule — a law
  24. clip — to cut

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