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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cell — a phone
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. suit — in cards
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stock — goods
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stock — shares
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. kid — child
  20. cell — in biology
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. kid — to tease

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