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

Word bank: rest · content · mate · rock · stem · court · bat · pitch

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. court — of a king
  3. bat — the animal
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stem — to come from
  10. court — of law
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rock — music
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rest — what's left
  23. court — for sport
  24. rock — to move gently

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