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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. rest — a break
  5. stem — to come from
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ground — a position
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rest — what's left
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ground — crushed

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