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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 116 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. pit — a hole
  6. court — for sport
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. court — of law
  10. stem — to come from
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. game — a match
  13. scale — in music
  14. chip — to eat
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — the tool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. court — of a king
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — wild animals
  24. ball — a dance

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