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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. suit — to fit
  7. cell — in biology
  8. face — to confront
  9. race — humankind
  10. field — for sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. field — farmland
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — clothes
  16. ball — a dance
  17. race — a contest
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. field — a subject
  23. race — the arms race
  24. face — to point toward

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