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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 116 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stem — to come from
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cell — in biology
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — boats
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stand — to bear
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. net — in sport
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitch — completely
  20. game — a match
  21. net — for catching
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. game — wild animals

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