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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — wild animals
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. deal — to handle
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. squash — the sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. game — a match
  18. fall — the season
  19. mine — for digging
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stem — to come from
  24. squash — the vegetable

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