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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a tool
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cue — a hint
  7. scale — in music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. file — a document
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. game — a match
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. scale — size or range
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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