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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. club — for golf
  4. mark — a grade
  5. club — a group
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rock — a stone
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mark — a trace
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. race — a contest
  17. fall — the season
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. race — the arms race
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. race — humankind
  23. kid — child
  24. rock — music

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