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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. pit — in a race
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. current — electric
  11. file — a document
  12. board — to get on
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. board — a committee
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fall — the season
  23. mark — a grade
  24. file — a tool

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