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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. present — there
  4. spell — magic
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. vault — a safe
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. degree — an amount
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. degree — temperature
  13. present — the time now
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. face — to confront
  19. spell — letters
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. spell — a short time
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. face — to point toward

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