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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rest — a break
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. spell — magic
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — a series
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spell — letters
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cue — for pool
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cue — a signal
  24. spell — a short time

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