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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. band — a ring
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. band — a music group
  15. mark — a grade
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pitch — completely
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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