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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. present — a gift
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. game — a match
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — to come from
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. present — there
  13. rule — a law
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rule — government
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. game — wild animals
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. present — the time now
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stem — a stem cell

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