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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. ground — a position
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. ground — crushed
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. present — there
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. present — a gift
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — a division
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. ground — the earth

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