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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. present — a gift
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mark — a grade
  12. game — a match
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. present — there
  15. mark — a trace
  16. board — to get on
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. present — the time now
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. game — a kind of play

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