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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. root — of a plant
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pit — a hole
  6. root — the cause
  7. pit — in a race
  8. land — to come down
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. root — of a word
  11. mate — a partner
  12. land — ground
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cell — in biology
  15. land — a country
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cap — of ice
  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