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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. squash — the sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. clip — a video
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. root — of a word
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stem — to come from
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mark — to pay attention

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