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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. mark — a trace
  16. chest — a box
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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