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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stem — to come from
  6. degree — an amount
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. club — a group
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rule — government
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. game — a match
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. club — for golf
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. hide — to keep secret

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