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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. drill — army training
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rush — hurry
  7. content — the amount
  8. drill — the tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. object — to protest
  12. pit — a hole
  13. content — happy
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pass — a permit
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cap — of ice
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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