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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pop — music
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pop — to visit
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. race — a contest
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a face
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stem — to come from
  14. race — humankind
  15. scale — in music
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. sharp — clever
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mug — a cup
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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