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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rush — hurry
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wound — an injury
  8. field — a subject
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. key — in music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stem — to come from

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