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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. suit — in cards
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mug — a cup
  12. suit — to fit
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. net — for catching
  19. stem — to come from
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. field — for sport
  23. suit — clothes
  24. stem — of a plant

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