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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. kid — child
  4. scale — in music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pop — music
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pop — soda
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. scale — size or range
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. present — there
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pop — to visit
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. present — a gift
  24. kick — in football

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