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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pop — music
  18. file — a document
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. file — a tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rash — a series
  24. squash — the sport

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