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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pitch — completely
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. present — the time now
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. key — the most important part
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cold — an illness

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