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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitch — completely
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. club — a group
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. club — for golf
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stem — to come from
  24. tear — to rip

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