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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. roll — a list
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chest — of your body
  9. track — to keep track
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — in music
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chest — a box
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. roll — a cake
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. dip — to sink

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