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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stem — to come from
  5. toast — bread
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. file — a line of people
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pit — a hole
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. degree — temperature
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. hand — help
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. temple — a place of worship

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