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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — a country
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. land — to come down
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. land — ground
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — final
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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