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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rush — hurry
  9. current — happening now
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. scale — in music
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. current — of water
  20. chest — a box
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. current — electric

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