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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 124 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mark — a trace
  7. charge — a price
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. net — for catching
  10. mark — a grade
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. saw — the tool
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. fine — a penalty

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