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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. march — music
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. march — the month
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — a lid
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cap — a hat
  10. net — for catching
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cap — of ice
  14. perch — the fish
  15. net — in sport
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. scale — size or range
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. march — the month

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