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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. present — there
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stem — to come from
  8. capital — a city
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hand — help
  15. capital — money
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. present — the time now
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. present — a gift
  24. pitcher — a jug

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