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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cell — a phone
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. scale — in music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bass — low music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — for catching
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitcher — a jug

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