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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. file — a tool
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pass — a permit
  7. present — there
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. stem — to come from
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. kid — to tease
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. present — a gift
  17. dip — to sink
  18. suit — clothes
  19. file — a document
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — child
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bound — certain

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