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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chip — for betting
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. degree — from a university
  14. snap — to click
  15. spring — the season
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chip — to eat
  18. degree — temperature
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. spring — of water
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. foot — a measure

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