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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chest — a box
  11. pitch — completely
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. spell — magic
  15. season — in sport
  16. rest — a break
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spell — letters
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stem — to come from
  23. lean — thin
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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