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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cap — a lid
  6. track — a song
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. track — a path
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cap — of ice

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