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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chest — a box
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. chest — of your body
  5. last — final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. charge — a price
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cue — a hint
  16. chest — of your body
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cue — a signal
  22. charge — in control
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cue — for pool

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