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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pit — a hole
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — money
  24. mouse — the animal

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