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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. track — a song
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. track — a path
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. field — a subject
  12. stem — to come from
  13. field — farmland
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. field — for sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ball — a dance
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bat — in an idiom

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