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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stock — shares
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. suit — in cards
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. suit — clothes
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. suit — to fit
  17. ball — a great time
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. march — the month
  20. lean — thin
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stock — goods
  23. last — finally
  24. stem — a stem cell

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