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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. game — wild animals
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. court — of law
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — a match
  15. bat — the animal
  16. court — of a king
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fine — all right
  20. court — for sport
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fine — high quality

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