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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. land — a country
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bound — certain
  8. lean — thin
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. lean — to bend
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. scale — size or range
  14. land — to come down
  15. bound — obliged
  16. scale — in music
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ball — a dance
  19. land — ground
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bound — tied together
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stem — of a plant

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