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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stem — to come from
  6. ball — a great time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — letters
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. ground — a position
  11. spell — magic
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rest — a break
  14. spell — a short time
  15. ground — crushed
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. toast — bread
  21. ground — the earth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. coach — a trainer

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