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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. field — a subject
  6. game — a match
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. squash — to crush
  13. field — for sport
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. field — farmland
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. squash — the sport
  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