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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. tear — from crying
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. prune — to trim
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stem — to come from
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. tear — from crying

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