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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. can — to be able to
  3. game — wild animals
  4. can — a tin
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hand — help
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fall — to drop
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chip — for betting
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. suit — in cards
  17. game — a match
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. can — a tin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. suit — clothes

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