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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. last — to go on
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — finally
  10. stem — to come from
  11. capital — money
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rest — what's left
  17. capital — a city
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rest — a break
  20. last — final
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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