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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pop — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cue — a hint
  6. field — farmland
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pop — soda
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. field — for sport
  13. mate — a partner
  14. object — to protest
  15. club — for dancing
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. club — for golf
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cue — for pool
  21. object — an aim
  22. field — a subject
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. club — a group

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