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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bat — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. scale — in music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. suit — clothes
  20. mine — for digging
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stem — to come from

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