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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. content — the amount
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. key — in music
  14. fall — the season
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stem — to come from
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. saw — the tool

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