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

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. tube — a container
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. kid — to tease
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tube — the underground
  12. last — final
  13. drill — army training
  14. kid — child
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pit — in a race
  17. foot — a measure
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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