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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spell — magic
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rest — a break

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