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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pitch — completely
  4. hand — help
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stock — goods
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cap — a lid
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. stock — shares

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