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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chest — a box
  7. mine — for digging
  8. object — to protest
  9. face — to confront
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. object — an aim
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. face — to point toward
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. object — a thing
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. sharp — clever

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