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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ground — a position
  3. stand — to bear
  4. capital — money
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bore — to tire
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. board — to get on
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. march — the month
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. board — a committee
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. capital — a city
  22. bore — to drill
  23. march — music
  24. ground — the earth

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