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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. toast — bread
  3. club — for golf
  4. present — a gift
  5. craft — a skill
  6. net — for catching
  7. stem — to come from
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. net — after costs
  10. cell — a phone
  11. snap — to click
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. present — the time now
  17. cell — in biology
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. club — for dancing
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. club — a group
  22. net — in sport
  23. craft — boats
  24. stem — of a plant

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