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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 120 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kick — in football
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. sharp — clever
  16. press — to push
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. drill — army training
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. track — to keep track
  21. press — newspapers
  22. drill — a practice
  23. track — a song
  24. press — a publisher

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