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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. march — music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. march — the month
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pitch — completely
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. march — the month
  21. spell — letters
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. lean — to rest against

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