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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spell — letters
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. spell — a short time
  5. drill — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. march — music
  9. drill — army training
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spell — magic
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rock — music
  24. march — the month

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