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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pop — music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cold — not warm
  9. capital — a city
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. sharp — clever
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. cue — a hint
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cue — for pool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stem — to come from
  22. capital — money
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. capital — a big letter

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