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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: ruler · board · last · season · stem · toast · fall · pitch

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. season — of the year
  5. fall — the season
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. board — a committee
  10. last — finally
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fall — to drop
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. board — to get on
  16. toast — bread
  17. last — final
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. season — in sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stem — to come from
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitch — completely

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