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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rash — hasty
  4. net — for catching
  5. staff — employees
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. net — in sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. capital — money
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. stem — to come from
  15. staff — employees
  16. capital — a city
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. net — after costs
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. calf — of the leg

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