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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — music
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stem — to come from
  9. shower — rain
  10. swing — music
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — to play on
  16. staff — a stick
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pop — soda
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rest — what's left

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