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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stem — to come from
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pop — soda
  6. file — a document
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pop — to visit
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a tool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. row — a line
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pop — music

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