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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: stem · fall · game · rock · dip · fan · race · pitch

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. dip — to sink
  3. game — a match
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rock — music
  9. fall — the season
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. game — wild animals
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  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