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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. content — happy
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. march — music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitch — completely
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. chip — to eat
  24. plane — a tool

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