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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pitch — completely
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. present — the time now
  8. race — a contest
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. present — there
  14. cell — in biology
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. season — of the year
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. season — in sport
  19. stem — to come from
  20. race — humankind
  21. present — a gift
  22. current — happening now
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. race — the arms race

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