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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chip — for betting
  8. kick — in football
  9. bat — the animal
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. toast — bread
  15. fall — the season
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bat — in an idiom

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