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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stem — to come from
  3. present — there
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. band — a ring
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. game — a match
  13. sharp — clever
  14. band — a music group
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. present — a gift
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. present — the time now

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