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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. capital — money
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hand — help
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wake — a trail
  9. firm — a company
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. firm — decided
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. firm — steady
  16. cap — of ice
  17. capital — a city
  18. foot — a measure
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hand — in cards
  23. kick — in football
  24. cap — a hat

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