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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bark — to shout
  6. key — in music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. degree — from a university
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. sharp — clever
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. key — for a lock
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pit — a hole

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