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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. game — wild animals
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kick — in football
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stem — to come from
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. march — the month
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bore — to tire
  15. march — the month
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. game — a match
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chair — a leader
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. march — music

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