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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. net — for catching
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. face — part of the head
  8. net — in sport
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. toast — bread
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. net — after costs
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. face — to point toward
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. face — to confront
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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