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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. clip — a video
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wind — moving air
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rash — on the skin

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