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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bound — obliged
  13. last — finally
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bound — certain
  16. last — to go on
  17. court — of a king
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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