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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. net — in sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. net — for catching
  11. foot — a measure
  12. net — after costs
  13. last — finally
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. last — final
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pitch — completely
  23. last — to go on
  24. jam — in traffic

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