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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 124 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. row — a line
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. track — a song
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. track — to keep track
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pop — music
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pop — soda
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. row — to paddle
  23. track — a path
  24. pitch — completely

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