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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chip — for betting
  3. stem — to come from
  4. content — the amount
  5. chip — to eat
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. game — a match
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. game — wild animals
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. content — happy
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. vault — a safe

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