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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. game — wild animals
  7. key — for a lock
  8. game — a match
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — part of the head
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. key — in music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. face — to point toward
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. key — the most important part
  22. face — to confront
  23. stem — to come from
  24. squash — the sport

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