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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chip — for betting
  11. stem — to come from
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chip — to eat
  15. lean — thin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lean — to bend
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. game — a match
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lie — to recline

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