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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cue — a hint
  3. present — there
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. capital — a city
  6. pop — soda
  7. capital — money
  8. chip — to eat
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ground — a position
  12. present — the time now
  13. pop — to visit
  14. ground — the earth
  15. present — a gift
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pop — music
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. swing — music
  23. cue — a signal
  24. swing — in golf

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