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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stem — to come from
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pitch — completely
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. chair — a leader
  14. craft — boats
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mine — for digging
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. craft — a skill
  24. saw — the tool

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