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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cold — not warm
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. last — to go on
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cold — an illness
  9. last — final
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. squash — to crush
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. last — finally
  24. safe — out of danger

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