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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. object — a thing
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. land — to come down
  5. charge — a price
  6. game — a match
  7. stem — to come from
  8. object — to protest
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. land — ground
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. object — an aim
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bore — to tire
  18. charge — in control
  19. sharp — clever
  20. season — in sport
  21. bore — to drill
  22. land — a country
  23. charge — electricity
  24. season — of the year

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