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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. last — final
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rash — hasty
  9. last — to go on
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. last — finally
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. coach — a trainer

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