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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. can — a tin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a match
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fall — the season
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rest — what's left

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