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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pit — in a race
  9. capital — a city
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bound — obliged
  16. capital — money
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bound — certain
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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