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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. face — to point toward
  6. last — finally
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cell — a phone
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stem — to come from
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bass — low music
  24. arm — part of the body

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