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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chest — a box
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fine — all right
  14. shower — to wash
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stem — to come from

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