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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spring — of water
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spring — the season
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bass — low music
  18. current — of water
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wound — an injury
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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