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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. march — the month
  3. ground — a position
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mug — a face
  6. mate — to breed
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. march — music
  10. mug — a cup
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rash — a series
  18. scale — in music
  19. mate — a partner
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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