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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. last — finally
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pit — a hole
  7. last — final
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stock — goods
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stock — shares
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bat — the animal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. shower — rain
  16. bear — the animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. last — to go on

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