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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. march — music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. march — the month
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. track — a song
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. march — the month
  12. net — for catching
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. present — a gift
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. present — the time now
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. net — after costs
  24. present — there

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