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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stem — to come from
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. track — a path
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. track — to keep track
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. staff — employees
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — to be able to
  21. fall — the season
  22. foot — a measure
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — a song

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