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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. last — final
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. board — to get on
  10. last — finally
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. board — a committee
  15. pit — in a race
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fine — high quality
  19. last — to go on
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. fine — all right

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