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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. 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. roll — a cake
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. drill — a practice
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. game — a match
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — the month
  13. cap — a hat
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pass — a permit
  19. march — music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. drill — army training
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. 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