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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. staff — a stick
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rule — a law
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rule — government
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. swing — music
  11. ball — a great time
  12. net — in sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. swing — to play on
  15. ground — a position
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. ground — the earth
  20. net — for catching
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. net — after costs
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stem — to come from

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