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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ball — a great time
  14. march — the month
  15. net — after costs
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. march — music
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. net — for catching
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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