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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bat — the animal
  5. board — to get on
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stem — to come from
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pit — in a race
  12. board — a committee
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. degree — temperature
  21. content — the amount
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. content — happy

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