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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pop — music
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. stem — to come from
  7. chip — for betting
  8. staff — employees
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chip — to eat
  11. staff — employees
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pop — soda
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. last — to go on
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fine — all right
  18. last — finally
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mark — a grade
  23. staff — a stick
  24. last — final

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