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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. present — the time now
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. present — a gift
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. stem — to come from
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. track — a song
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. track — a path
  13. present — there
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. toast — bread
  17. clip — a video
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. track — to keep track
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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