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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. lie — to recline
  12. kid — child
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cell — in biology
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stand — to bear
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stem — to come from

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