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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stem — to come from
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. net — after costs
  11. kid — child
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. net — for catching
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rest — a break
  20. net — in sport
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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