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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — shares
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mug — a face
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. file — a tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. track — to keep track
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mug — a cup
  12. race — humankind
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. track — a path
  17. file — a document
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. stock — goods
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. track — a song

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