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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. foot — a measure
  3. stem — to come from
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. net — in sport
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mug — a cup
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. net — after costs
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rash — a series
  14. rush — hurry
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. net — for catching
  18. rash — hasty
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mug — a face
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stem — of a plant

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