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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. last — to go on
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stem — to come from
  7. last — finally
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitch — completely
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. last — final
  16. current — electric
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. net — for catching
  21. current — happening now
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. current — of water

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