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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. kid — child
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mug — to rob
  9. kick — in football
  10. mug — a cup
  11. last — finally
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. last — final
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. last — to go on
  24. stand — to bear

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