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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. net — in sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. squash — the sport
  7. stem — to come from
  8. spell — letters
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitch — completely
  17. net — after costs
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. squash — the vegetable

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