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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rock — music
  5. key — in music
  6. drill — army training
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mark — a grade
  9. drill — a practice
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pit — in a race
  12. key — for a lock
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. stem — to come from
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mark — a trace
  20. drill — the tool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. stem — of a plant

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