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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. capital — a city
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cue — for pool
  12. ball — a dance
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. roll — a cake
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. roll — a list
  17. cue — a signal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. shower — rain
  20. capital — money
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cue — a hint
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. ball — a round shape

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