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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. capital — money
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — to tease
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. kid — child
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. capital — a city
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pitch — completely

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