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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 120 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ground — the earth
  4. capital — a city
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lie — to recline
  9. firm — a company
  10. mark — a grade
  11. capital — money
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. firm — steady
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ground — a position
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bass — low music
  20. firm — decided
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stem — to come from

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