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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mate — to breed
  5. capital — a city
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. scale — in music
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. mark — a trace
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. capital — money
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stem — to come from
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. scale — size or range

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