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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stem — to come from
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. file — a document
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cue — a hint
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cue — for pool
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitch — completely
  16. season — in sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. file — a tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. cue — a signal
  24. squash — to crush

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