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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. roll — a cake
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ground — crushed
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. roll — a list
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pitch — completely
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. staff — a stick
  24. ground — a position

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