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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cue — for pool
  7. spell — magic
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spell — a short time
  12. court — of law
  13. cue — a hint
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spell — letters
  17. court — for sport
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cue — a signal
  24. court — of a king

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