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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — to come from
  3. last — finally
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cue — for pool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — final
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. last — to go on
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rest — what's left

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