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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. foot — a measure
  6. land — to come down
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. land — a country
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cue — a hint
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. kid — child
  15. bound — obliged
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cue — a signal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. land — ground
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cue — for pool

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