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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rush — hurry
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cue — for pool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. snap — to click
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pit — in a race

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