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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cap — of ice
  5. key — in music
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — wild animals
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. squash — to crush
  12. game — a match
  13. key — the most important part
  14. roll — a list
  15. cap — a lid
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stem — to come from
  23. roll — a cake
  24. key — for a lock

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