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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. march — the month
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. march — the month
  11. stem — to come from
  12. swing — to play on
  13. march — music
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. roll — a cake
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mate — to breed
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. swing — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. roll — a list
  24. vault — a safe

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