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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. key — the most important part
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rest — a break
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cold — an illness
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stem — of a plant

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