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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mate — a partner
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. root — the cause
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mark — a grade
  9. march — the month
  10. sharp — clever
  11. toast — bread
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. root — of a plant
  15. march — the month
  16. mark — a trace
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mate — to breed
  22. root — of a word
  23. march — music
  24. mate — a friend

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