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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rash — a series
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mark — a grade
  12. land — to come down
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. land — a country
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fine — all right
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. game — a match
  21. land — ground
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fine — a penalty

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