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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mate — a partner
  8. track — to keep track
  9. court — for sport
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitch — completely
  12. band — a ring
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. court — of law
  17. mate — a friend
  18. court — of a king
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. band — a music group
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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