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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. suit — to fit
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. suit — in cards
  7. deal — to handle
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mark — a grade
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — in football
  15. mark — a trace
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. suit — clothes
  23. date — the fruit
  24. ground — the earth

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