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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. lean — to bend
  4. game — a match
  5. foot — a measure
  6. hand — in cards
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stem — to come from
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hand — help
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. lean — thin
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. game — wild animals

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