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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mark — a trace
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kick — in football
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. game — a match
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mark — a grade

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