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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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. firm — steady
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chest — a box
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. mark — a grade
  17. firm — decided
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. chest — of your body
  20. firm — a company
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ball — a great time

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