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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 120 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. game — a match
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pitch — completely
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. tube — a container
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. row — a line
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. foot — a measure
  19. game — wild animals
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rush — hurry
  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