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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. game — a match
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — shares
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stock — goods
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stem — to come from
  18. game — wild animals

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