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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. ball — a great time
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pass — a permit
  14. capital — money
  15. kick — in football
  16. capital — a city
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bass — low music
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bass — the fish
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pass — to succeed

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