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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cue — a signal
  6. ground — a position
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. spell — magic
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — letters
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ground — the earth
  16. game — a match
  17. march — music
  18. ground — crushed
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chip — to eat
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rest — a break
  24. march — the month

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