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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. ball — a dance
  5. clip — for paper
  6. game — a match
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. march — the month
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. toast — bread
  12. net — after costs
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. march — music
  15. ball — a great time
  16. net — in sport
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. game — wild animals
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. net — for catching
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. march — the month

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