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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 120 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pitch — completely
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. staff — a stick
  7. deal — to handle
  8. game — wild animals
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. game — a match
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — size or range
  13. march — the month
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. staff — employees
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — in music
  19. staff — employees
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. march — music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stem — to come from

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