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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pop — to visit
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. content — the amount
  12. pitch — completely
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pop — soda
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pop — 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