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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. drill — army training
  5. chair — a leader
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pop — music
  15. stock — goods
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pop — soda
  18. rest — a break
  19. pop — to visit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stock — shares
  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