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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. suit — clothes
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. suit — in cards
  10. clip — to cut
  11. land — a country
  12. mate — a friend
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. clip — a video
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. land — to come down
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. suit — to fit
  23. chest — a box
  24. land — ground

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