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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. squash — to crush
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. squash — the sport
  24. fan — to cool the air

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