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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mug — a cup
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. march — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. sharp — clever
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. march — the month
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — a face
  24. stand — for spectators

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