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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. object — a thing
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stem — to come from
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. object — to protest
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. object — an aim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. plane — in geometry

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