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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. stand — to bear
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rest — a break
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wake — a trail

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