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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fine — high quality
  4. land — to come down
  5. fine — all right
  6. cue — for pool
  7. land — a country
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mark — a grade
  12. tear — from crying
  13. land — ground
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stem — to come from
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stem — of a plant

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