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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: rock · shower · stem · cue · ground · board · pitch · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rock — music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. snap — to click
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. board — a committee
  17. ground — a position
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cue — for pool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — a hint

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