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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. last — final
  7. fork — in a road
  8. last — to go on
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. present — there
  12. land — ground
  13. last — finally
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — a country
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. land — to come down
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. rush — hurry

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