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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chair — a leader
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pit — in a race
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pit — a hole
  10. drill — army training
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mate — to breed
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. suit — to fit
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. suit — clothes
  17. row — a line
  18. suit — in cards
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mate — a partner
  21. drill — the tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. trunk — of a tree

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