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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cell — in biology
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. court — of law
  7. cell — a phone
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. court — of a king
  12. last — final
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. court — for sport
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pitch — a sports field

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