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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. court — of a king
  7. stem — to come from
  8. court — for sport
  9. last — final
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. present — a gift
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. court — of law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — the time now
  18. key — for a lock
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. present — there

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