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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mate — a friend
  6. object — an aim
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stock — shares
  9. tube — a container
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. object — a thing
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. tube — the underground
  18. last — final
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. object — to protest
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. last — finally

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