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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. deal — to handle
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. game — a match
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — wild animals
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. tube — the underground
  17. drill — army training
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tube — a container
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. drill — a practice
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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