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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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 match
  3. cue — a signal
  4. root — the cause
  5. cue — for pool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cue — a hint
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mine — for digging
  12. court — for sport
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. court — of law
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. root — of a word
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. kick — in football
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. court — of a king

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