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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. swing — in golf
  3. game — a match
  4. chip — for betting
  5. game — wild animals
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. swing — music
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. march — the month
  11. fine — all right
  12. march — the month
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stem — to come from
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chip — to eat
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. march — music
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stem — of a plant

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