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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rash — a series
  4. game — wild animals
  5. prune — to trim
  6. can — a tin
  7. game — a match
  8. ground — crushed
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. prune — to trim
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. track — a path
  13. toast — bread
  14. track — a song
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. ground — the earth
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rash — hasty
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. ground — a position

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