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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. suit — in cards
  3. object — to protest
  4. pit — a hole
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pit — in a race
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. hand — in cards
  9. object — a thing
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. object — an aim
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. club — for golf
  15. stem — to come from
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. suit — clothes
  19. game — a match
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. club — a group
  22. suit — to fit
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. club — for dancing

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