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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. lean — thin
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stem — to come from
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. kick — in football
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. toast — bread

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