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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. ball — a great time
  4. key — the most important part
  5. swing — to play on
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. key — in music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. key — for a lock
  12. swing — music
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. swing — in golf
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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