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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. roll — a list
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. drill — a practice
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. court — of a king
  12. roll — a cake
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bat — the animal
  19. drill — army training
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. court — for sport
  22. game — a match
  23. court — of law
  24. drill — the tool

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