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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. sharp — clever
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. toast — bread
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fork — in a road
  24. toast — the most admired

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