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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. kid — to tease
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fine — all right
  9. object — an aim
  10. game — a match
  11. kid — child
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. object — a thing
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bore — to tire
  23. object — to protest
  24. cue — for pool

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