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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — the fish
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. spell — letters
  11. bass — low music
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. degree — from a university
  16. spell — a short time
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spell — magic
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rest — a break
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitch — completely

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