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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bank — for money
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bound — certain
  8. capital — a city
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. capital — money
  12. bank — for money
  13. game — wild animals
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pitch — completely
  18. game — a match
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pop — music

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