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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. press — newspapers
  4. spring — a coil
  5. land — ground
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. land — a country
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pass — a permit
  11. race — the arms race
  12. press — to push
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. press — a publisher
  16. spring — of water
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. land — to come down
  19. race — humankind
  20. game — a match
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. game — wild animals
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. race — a contest

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