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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cell — in biology
  13. last — to go on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cell — a phone
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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