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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. row — a line
  3. game — a match
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stem — to come from
  8. row — to paddle
  9. game — wild animals
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. press — to push
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. firm — a company
  21. press — newspapers
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. tube — a container
  24. row — a quarrel

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