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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. race — humankind
  5. last — final
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stem — to come from
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. ball — a dance
  15. race — a contest
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. last — finally
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pit — a hole
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cue — a hint

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