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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pitch — completely
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. rash — a series
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pass — a permit
  24. mine — an explosive

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