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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. net — after costs
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stem — to come from
  6. race — humankind
  7. cell — in biology
  8. race — the arms race
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bass — the fish
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. race — a contest
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bass — low music
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. key — for a lock

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