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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. shower — rain
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cue — a hint
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wind — moving air
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fine — all right
  13. season — in sport
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cue — for pool
  17. rest — a break
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rest — what's left
  23. season — of the year
  24. stem — of a plant

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