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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. object — to protest
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. net — in sport
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stem — to come from
  9. kick — in football
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. spell — magic
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — for catching
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. net — after costs
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. object — a thing
  24. kick — with a leg

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