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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · chair · ground · cell · fine · rest · stem · firm

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. ground — crushed
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. ground — a position
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ground — the earth
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rest — what's left
  11. firm — a company
  12. chair — a leader
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — steady
  15. rest — a break
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stem — to come from

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