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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: kick · race · toast · stem · pitch · ground · jam · swing

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. toast — bread
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. race — a contest
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitch — completely
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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