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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chair — a leader
  4. deal — to handle
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fine — high quality
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cap — a lid
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fall — the season
  24. deal — an agreement

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