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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fine — high quality
  4. staff — employees
  5. cell — a phone
  6. staff — employees
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. stem — to come from
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. kid — to tease
  13. staff — a stick
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. toast — bread
  16. kid — child
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fine — all right

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