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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rest — a break
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cue — for pool
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. shower — to wash
  17. ground — the earth
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cue — a signal
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cue — a hint

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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