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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fine — all right
  7. kid — child
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mug — to rob
  10. chest — a box
  11. mug — a cup
  12. race — the arms race
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. race — humankind
  16. kid — to tease
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chest — of your body
  20. race — a contest
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stem — to come from
  23. key — for a lock
  24. fine — high quality

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