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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cue — a signal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cue — for pool
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bat — the animal
  18. capital — a city
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. capital — money
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cue — a hint

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