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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rock — music
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. board — to get on
  9. spell — letters
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pound — a weight
  13. staff — employees
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. board — a committee
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. stem — to come from
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. staff — employees
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. spell — a short time

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