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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. hand — help
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wake — a trail
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stem — to come from
  13. kick — in football
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. hand — in cards
  16. deal — to handle
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. season — in sport
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. game — a match
  23. season — of the year
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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