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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pass — a permit
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stem — to come from
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. charge — a price
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. charge — electricity
  15. dip — to sink
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kid — child
  18. charge — in control
  19. pitch — completely
  20. perch — the fish
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stem — of a plant

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