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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. object — an aim
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rest — what's left
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. object — a thing
  11. pit — in a race
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rest — a break
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. object — to protest
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — to come from
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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