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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: stem · pitch · can · wake · swing · rule · race · fall

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rule — government
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fall — the season
  7. swing — music
  8. race — humankind
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wake — a trail
  12. race — a contest
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rule — a law
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. can — a tin

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