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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. march — music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. can — a tin
  5. spell — letters
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — magic
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. march — the month
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. march — the month
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. game — a match
  17. net — for catching
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. foot — a measure
  22. can — a tin
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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