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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stem — to come from
  3. object — an aim
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. object — to protest
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lean — thin
  17. snap — to click
  18. shower — rain
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mate — a friend
  21. object — a thing
  22. charge — a price
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stem — a stem cell

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