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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cue — for pool
  6. press — to push
  7. wax — to grow
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. game — a match
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cue — a hint
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cue — a signal
  24. calf — of the leg

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