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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. key — for a lock
  8. object — an aim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. object — to protest
  11. clip — for paper
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. key — the most important part
  15. object — a thing
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. clip — a video
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. key — in music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stand — to bear
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pitcher — a jug

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