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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. last — finally
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. last — to go on
  10. can — a tin
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. last — final
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. scale — for weighing

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