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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mark — a grade
  4. hand — help
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. net — for catching
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — to crush
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stem — to come from
  12. clip — a video
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bound — obliged
  19. clip — for paper
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. squash — the sport

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