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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wind — moving air
  6. foot — a measure
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rock — music
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chest — a box
  14. wind — moving air
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ground — a position

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