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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — a break
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. game — a match
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. current — happening now
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitcher — a jug

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