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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mate — to breed
  5. charge — a price
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mate — a friend
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. spring — the season
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stem — to come from
  20. spring — of water
  21. charge — in control
  22. spring — a coil
  23. row — to paddle
  24. charge — electricity

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