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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. charge — a price
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — a stone
  6. row — a line
  7. swing — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. swing — to play on
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — for catching
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  24. net — after costs

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