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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stem — to come from
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. firm — decided
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. firm — steady
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. degree — an amount

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