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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. squash — the sport
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. face — part of the head
  5. hand — in cards
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. fine — all right
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. capital — a city
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — to confront
  16. squash — to crush
  17. hand — help
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. capital — money
  23. firm — a company
  24. face — to point toward

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