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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mark — a trace
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chip — to eat
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rock — music
  12. clip — a video
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. fine — high quality
  16. stem — to come from
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. clip — for paper
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fine — all right
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mark — a grade

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