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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rush — hurry
  5. stem — to come from
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spring — of water
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pitch — completely
  19. roll — a list
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. roll — a cake
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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