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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. dip — to sink
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. track — a path
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. track — a song
  14. capital — money
  15. key — in music
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — for digging
  22. key — the most important part
  23. deal — an agreement
  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