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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 116 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bat — the animal
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chip — to eat
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ball — a dance

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