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

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. press — newspapers
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. game — a match
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stem — to come from
  12. press — to push
  13. deal — to handle
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. game — wild animals
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stem — a stem cell

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