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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cold — not warm
  6. game — wild animals
  7. present — a gift
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fine — all right
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. game — a match
  24. rush — a thrill

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