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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. firm — decided
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. game — wild animals
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. face — to confront
  10. stem — to come from
  11. firm — steady
  12. tube — a container
  13. cold — not warm
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — a match
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rush — hurry
  19. firm — a company
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rush — to hurry

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