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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kick — in football
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. game — a match
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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