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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rule — government
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. ball — a dance
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. present — there
  13. stem — to come from
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. present — the time now
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mine — for digging
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. present — a gift
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rule — a law

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