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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. board — a committee
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. club — for golf
  7. race — humankind
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pass — a permit
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. board — to get on
  13. club — a group
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. game — a match
  17. race — a contest
  18. 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