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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cold — not warm
  5. scale — size or range
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. row — a line
  11. swing — music
  12. vault — a safe
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. row — to paddle
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rest — a break
  18. cold — an illness
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. scale — in music
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fine — a penalty

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