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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · stem · racket · chair · tear · kick

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. tear — from crying
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pitch — completely
  10. tear — from crying
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. kick — in football
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stem — to come from
  15. chair — a leader
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stem — a stem cell

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