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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — part of the head
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rash — a series
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fall — the season

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