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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cold — an illness
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. present — a gift
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cue — a signal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. game — a match
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cue — a hint
  24. present — the time now

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