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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitch — completely
  3. last — final
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rule — a law
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pit — a hole
  8. hand — help
  9. firm — decided
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. firm — a company
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. last — to go on
  22. firm — steady
  23. rule — government
  24. pit — in a race

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