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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cue — for pool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. root — of a plant
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. stem — to come from
  14. game — a match
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — to wash
  17. root — the cause
  18. perch — the fish
  19. root — of a word
  20. shower — rain
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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