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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. game — a match
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pit — in a race
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bass — low music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pit — a hole
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitch — completely

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