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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fine — all right
  17. season — in sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. charge — in control
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. charge — electricity
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. root — of a word
  24. stem — of a plant

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