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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. drill — army training
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fine — all right
  12. press — a publisher
  13. charge — in control
  14. fine — high quality
  15. charge — a price
  16. key — in music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. key — the most important part
  19. charge — electricity
  20. press — newspapers
  21. drill — the tool
  22. press — to push
  23. key — for a lock
  24. game — a match

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