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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bear — the animal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rule — government
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. rule — a law
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. field — farmland
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pitch — completely
  23. scale — size or range
  24. straw — dry grass

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