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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. charge — in control
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. last — final
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. charge — a price
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — finally
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. charge — electricity
  16. clip — a video
  17. stem — to come from
  18. last — to go on
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. clip — to cut
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rash — hasty
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rash — a series

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