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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. club — a group
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pass — to spend time

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