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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pitch — completely
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — a weight
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. march — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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