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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 116 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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bear — the animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stem — to come from
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mark — a trace
  8. degree — an amount
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. march — music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. degree — temperature
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitch — completely
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. hand — help
  23. march — the month
  24. bear — the animal

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