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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. present — the time now
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. present — a gift
  6. staff — employees
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. present — there
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. staff — employees
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. staff — a stick
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hand — help
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. snap — to click
  20. hand — in cards
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. squash — to crush
  23. net — after costs
  24. pitch — completely

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