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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mate — a friend
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — a match
  9. hand — help
  10. mate — to breed
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stem — to come from
  13. degree — temperature
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. can — to be able to
  20. degree — from a university
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mate — a partner
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. stem — a stem cell

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