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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. march — music
  3. pitch — completely
  4. object — a thing
  5. stem — to come from
  6. field — a subject
  7. object — an aim
  8. march — the month
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rest — what's left
  19. object — to protest
  20. march — the month
  21. field — farmland
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. field — for sport
  24. rest — a break

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