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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. date — the fruit
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. stem — to come from

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