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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. rash — a series
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kid — child
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stem — to come from
  16. present — a gift
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. present — there
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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