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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wind — moving air
  4. charge — in control
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stem — to come from
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wake — a trail
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. board — a committee
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wind — moving air
  21. board — to get on
  22. charge — electricity
  23. pitch — completely
  24. date — on the calendar

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