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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. hand — help
  8. court — of a king
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pitch — completely
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. pit — a hole
  18. saw — the tool
  19. can — to be able to
  20. saw — the tool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. court — of law
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. scale — in music

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