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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stem — to come from
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. game — wild animals
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. present — there
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — a match
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. present — the time now
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. row — a line
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. can — to be able to
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. present — a gift
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fork — in a road
  24. can — a tin

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