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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · pitch · mine · mate · staff · stem · rash · shower

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mate — a friend
  19. staff — employees
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. staff — employees
  24. rash — a series

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