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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. last — final
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. rock — a stone
  9. plane — a tool
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chip — for betting
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. last — finally
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rock — music
  22. last — to go on
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chip — to eat

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