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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. fine — all right
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fine — high quality
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. foot — a measure
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. snap — to click
  14. cold — not warm
  15. firm — steady
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stem — to come from
  18. firm — decided
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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