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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fork — in a road
  12. land — ground
  13. mate — to breed
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. land — a country
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. land — to come down
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mate — a partner
  20. ground — a position
  21. stem — to come from
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cell — in a prison

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