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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ground — a position
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mark — a trace
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stem — to come from
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kick — in football
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bound — certain
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bound — obliged
  24. racket — a loud noise

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