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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pop — soda
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — music
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. capital — money
  18. swing — music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — a city
  21. pass — a permit
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. land — ground

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