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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. last — finally
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rock — a stone
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. last — final
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — in music
  15. root — of a word
  16. scale — size or range
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pitch — completely
  19. last — to go on
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. root — the cause
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rock — music

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