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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's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. content — the amount
  10. land — a country
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cell — in biology
  24. content — happy

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