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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — in music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wound — an injury
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. track — a path
  15. hand — help
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cell — a phone
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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