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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. board — a committee
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. board — to get on
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cue — for pool
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. row — to paddle
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. row — a line
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bear — 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