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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stem — to come from
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. face — to confront
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bat — the animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ground — the earth
  18. saw — the tool
  19. last — finally
  20. ground — a position
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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