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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mug — to rob
  4. capital — money
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rash — a series
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mug — a face
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pop — to visit
  12. drill — the tool
  13. capital — a city
  14. drill — army training
  15. pop — music
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rash — hasty
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pop — soda

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