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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — clever
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fall — the season
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chair — a leader
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rest — a break
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. face — part of the head
  22. snap — to click
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chair — a professorship

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