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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fall — the season
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hand — in cards
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. kick — in football
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to click
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rule — a law
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — help
  20. rule — government
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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