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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stem — to come from
  3. net — for catching
  4. mug — a face
  5. last — finally
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. ball — a dance
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. net — after costs
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pitch — completely
  16. ball — a great time
  17. race — humankind
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mug — a cup
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. net — in sport

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