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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. scale — size or range
  9. branch — a division
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mark — a trace
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitch — completely
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mate — a partner
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mate — a friend
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mark — a grade
  24. branch — of a tree

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