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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ball — a dance
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stem — to come from
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. plane — a tool
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stem — a stem cell

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