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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lie — to recline
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — decided
  6. kick — in football
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. key — for a lock
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. key — in music
  17. firm — steady
  18. stem — to come from
  19. game — a match
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. key — the most important part
  24. game — wild animals

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