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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 116 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cell — a phone
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pass — a permit
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. shower — rain
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. ball — a great time
  19. chip — to eat
  20. mate — to breed
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. racket — for tennis

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