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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. foot — a measure
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. pit — a hole
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — a trail
  12. race — the arms race
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stem — to come from
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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