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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ball — a great time
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — a friend
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cell — a phone
  11. swing — music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. swing — in golf
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lean — thin
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mate — a partner
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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