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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. fine — all right
  5. race — humankind
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. present — there
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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