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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. last — final
  4. race — the arms race
  5. chip — for betting
  6. race — humankind
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. bulb — for light
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. last — finally
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — to go on
  18. race — a contest
  19. stem — to come from
  20. perch — the fish
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stem — a stem cell

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