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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. track — a path
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. key — in music
  11. track — a song
  12. mine — for digging
  13. key — the most important part
  14. chest — a box
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pit — a hole
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. game — a match
  23. bore — to drill
  24. chest — of your body

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