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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. swing — in golf
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. root — of a word
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. root — of a plant
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pitch — completely
  20. swing — music
  21. root — the cause
  22. mate — to breed
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rock — 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