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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pit — in a race
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fall — the season
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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