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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 120 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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. swing — in golf
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. game — a match
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. land — a country
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bat — the animal
  15. swing — music
  16. land — to come down
  17. pass — a permit
  18. land — ground
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pass — to spend time

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