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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 116 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. file — a document
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cue — a hint
  8. deal — to handle
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stem — to come from
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cue — a signal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mine — belonging to me

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