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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fine — all right
  5. bass — low music
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bound — certain
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fine — high quality
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. file — a document

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