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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. deal — to handle
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — music
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mug — a cup
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cell — a phone
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lie — to recline
  21. game — a match
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mug — to rob

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