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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. key — in music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. net — for catching
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fork — in a road
  10. net — after costs
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. tube — a container
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stem — to come from
  17. net — in sport
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pitch — completely
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. row — to paddle

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