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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fall — to drop
  7. firm — steady
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fall — the season
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cue — a signal
  15. firm — decided
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. toast — bread
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. firm — a company
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fall — to drop

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