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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chip — to eat
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cap — of ice
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stem — a stem cell

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