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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 124 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. game — a match
  6. lean — thin
  7. suit — clothes
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. suit — in cards
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. game — wild animals
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. suit — to fit
  15. hand — help
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. hand — in cards
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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