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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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Word bank
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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: kick · scale · cap · straw · rash · temple · stem · pitch

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rash — hasty
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. scale — in music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rash — a series
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kick — in football
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cap — of ice
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pitch — completely
  24. stem — to come from

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