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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — a series
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fine — high quality
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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