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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. chip — for betting
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. chip — to eat
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pass — a permit
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stem — to come from
  24. tube — a container

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