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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. last — finally
  3. cell — in biology
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. track — a song
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. track — a path
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. last — final
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mate — to breed
  21. toast — bread
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mate — a friend
  24. last — to go on

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