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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. land — to come down
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fine — all right
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. land — ground
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fine — high quality
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. land — a country
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fork — a garden tool

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