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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. net — after costs
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. net — for catching
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wind — moving air
  14. deal — to handle
  15. track — a song
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rush — hurry
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. track — a path
  24. net — in sport

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