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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cold — an illness
  5. charge — in control
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. row — a line
  11. scale — in music
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cold — not warm
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lie — to recline
  17. charge — electricity
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. charge — a price
  23. court — of law
  24. lie — an untruth

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