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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. net — for catching
  3. can — a tin
  4. rock — music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. sharp — clever
  11. can — to be able to
  12. land — ground
  13. net — in sport
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. can — a tin
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — a country
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. net — after costs

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