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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stem — to come from
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mark — a trace
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. kid — child

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