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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. file — a tool
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. spell — letters
  8. stem — to come from
  9. kick — in football
  10. suit — clothes
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. hand — help
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. suit — to fit
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. suit — in cards
  21. file — a document
  22. spell — magic
  23. hand — in cards
  24. racket — for tennis

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