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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mug — a face
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stem — to come from
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. key — in music
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cell — in biology
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. key — the most important part
  18. shower — rain
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mug — a cup
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. stem — a stem cell

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