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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — a short time
  12. capital — a city
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. spell — letters
  17. capital — money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fine — all right
  22. spell — magic
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fine — high quality

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