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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: club · sharp · stem · fine · coach · pitch · track · deal

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. track — a path
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fine — all right
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. track — a song
  10. fine — high quality
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pitch — completely
  14. club — for dancing
  15. sharp — clever
  16. club — a group
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. club — for golf
  24. stem — a stem cell

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