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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pit — in a race
  6. root — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. last — finally
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pit — a hole
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. root — the cause
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mine — for digging
  23. last — to go on
  24. root — of a word

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