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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pit — a hole
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fall — the season
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. degree — from a university
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. degree — an amount

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