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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mate — to breed
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mate — a friend
  16. dip — to sink
  17. key — in music
  18. chip — to eat
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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