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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. degree — from a university
  5. suit — in cards
  6. cue — a hint
  7. band — a music group
  8. chest — of your body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chest — a box
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. field — for sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cue — for pool
  15. suit — to fit
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. chest — of your body
  19. band — a ring
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cue — a signal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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