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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stem — to come from
  3. object — to protest
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mug — to rob
  6. current — electric
  7. object — a thing
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. current — happening now
  11. mug — a cup
  12. current — of water
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. last — final
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mug — a face
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. last — finally
  23. object — an aim
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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