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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. firm — decided
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mate — a friend
  9. track — a path
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. firm — a company
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — steady
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — a song
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. dip — to sink
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — to keep track

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