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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. net — after costs
  3. court — for sport
  4. charge — in control
  5. track — a song
  6. stem — to come from
  7. charge — electricity
  8. last — final
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. track — to keep track
  11. court — of law
  12. track — a path
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. last — to go on
  15. rash — a series
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. charge — a price
  21. court — of a king
  22. net — in sport
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. net — for catching

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