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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. land — ground
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. present — a gift
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — clothes
  7. game — wild animals
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. scale — in music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. suit — in cards
  14. present — the time now
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. scale — size or range
  18. present — there
  19. land — to come down
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. land — a country
  24. game — a match

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