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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. net — in sport
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. face — to confront
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bore — to drill
  16. net — after costs
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. net — for catching
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fine — all right
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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