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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mug — a face
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stem — to come from
  11. present — the time now
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mug — to rob
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cold — an illness
  21. scale — in music
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. staff — employees

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