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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stem — to come from
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. mine — for digging
  8. band — a ring
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rash — hasty
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. present — the time now
  22. rash — a series
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. sharp — clever

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