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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 120 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. field — a subject
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. shower — rain
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. mug — a cup
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. field — farmland
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. kick — in football
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. fine — all right
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. field — for sport
  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