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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rest — a break
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — to come from
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — music
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. game — a match
  16. march — the month
  17. face — to confront
  18. ball — a dance
  19. march — the month
  20. band — a ring
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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