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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. net — for catching
  6. stem — to come from
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bat — the animal
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. scale — in music
  12. net — in sport
  13. present — a gift
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. net — after costs
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chip — to eat
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. nail — for a hammer

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