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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 124 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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stem — to come from
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. ball — a dance
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pitch — completely
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. spring — the season
  22. chip — to eat
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cap — a lid

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