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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — a signal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cue — for pool
  12. key — in music
  13. rash — a series
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fine — all right
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stem — of a plant

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