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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pass — a permit
  4. kid — to tease
  5. firm — decided
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. firm — a company
  9. kid — child
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. firm — steady
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. scale — in music
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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