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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — the animal
  3. last — finally
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. last — final
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. court — of a king
  18. last — to go on
  19. court — for sport
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. court — of law
  24. suit — in cards

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