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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. firm — steady
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. firm — a company
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chip — to eat
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stem — to come from
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. firm — decided
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. last — final
  20. last — to go on
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. last — finally
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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