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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · game · land · hand · stick · stem · chair · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stem — to come from
  6. deal — to handle
  7. land — a country
  8. rest — a break
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — help
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rest — what's left

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