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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. charge — a price
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. mark — a grade
  12. charge — electricity
  13. kid — child
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. field — farmland
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — for sport
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mark — a trace
  21. field — a subject
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. charge — in control

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