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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rush — hurry
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. stem — to come from
  9. snap — to click
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pop — to visit
  17. staff — employees
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. game — wild animals
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. game — a match
  24. staff — employees

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