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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — for digging
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tube — a container
  8. key — in music
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cue — for pool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. scale — in music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. file — a document
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stem — to come from
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mark — a trace
  23. file — a tool
  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