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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. stem — to come from
  9. drill — army training
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. row — a line
  12. ground — a position
  13. rock — a stone
  14. game — a match
  15. mate — a partner
  16. game — wild animals
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — crushed
  21. drill — the tool
  22. ground — the earth
  23. content — the amount
  24. row — a quarrel

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