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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. land — to come down
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — ground
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cue — a signal
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. land — a country
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — of a plant

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