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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. band — a music group
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. game — a match
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stem — to come from
  13. last — finally
  14. rock — music
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bear — the animal
  21. band — a ring
  22. pitch — completely
  23. perch — the fish
  24. last — to go on

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