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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. tube — the underground
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pop — soda
  8. rash — a series
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. kick — in football
  19. scale — in music
  20. pop — music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tube — a container
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ball — a round shape

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