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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. date — the fruit
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pit — in a race
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. game — a match
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. field — farmland
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. field — a subject
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fork — in a road

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