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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. stem — to come from
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. file — a document
  5. capital — money
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. craft — boats
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. last — final
  15. capital — a city
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pop — soda
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. file — a tool
  22. craft — a skill
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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