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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. suit — to fit
  4. stem — to come from
  5. suit — in cards
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. game — wild animals
  8. press — newspapers
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. last — final
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. last — finally
  15. game — a match
  16. scale — in music
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. shower — rain
  22. last — to go on
  23. suit — clothes
  24. coach — a trainer

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