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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. capital — money
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. land — ground
  15. stem — to come from
  16. game — a match
  17. capital — a city
  18. game — wild animals
  19. band — a music group
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. deal — to handle

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