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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. press — to push
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fall — to drop
  7. present — there
  8. firm — a company
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fall — the season
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. spell — magic
  17. firm — decided
  18. present — a gift
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fall — to drop
  23. firm — steady
  24. spell — letters

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