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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. suit — to fit
  3. clip — for paper
  4. present — there
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. key — for a lock
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. tear — from crying
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. tear — to rip
  18. suit — clothes
  19. present — the time now
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. key — in music
  23. stem — to come from
  24. tear — from crying

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