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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. foot — a measure
  3. march — the month
  4. mark — a grade
  5. current — of water
  6. rest — what's left
  7. march — the month
  8. current — electric
  9. cell — in biology
  10. current — happening now
  11. march — music
  12. object — to protest
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. foot — the bottom

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