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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. snap — to click
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mate — a friend
  7. kid — child
  8. march — music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mate — to breed
  13. present — the time now
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. march — the month
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rush — hurry
  21. kid — to tease
  22. march — the month
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stem — of a plant

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