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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. track — a song
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. saw — the tool
  10. track — to keep track
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chest — a box
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. track — a path
  18. cap — a hat
  19. stem — to come from
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. cue — a hint
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chip — for betting

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