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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pit — a hole
  4. file — a tool
  5. pass — a permit
  6. current — of water
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. last — finally
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. last — final
  13. current — electric
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — to go on
  19. current — happening now
  20. file — a document
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. file — a line of people

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