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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 124 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cold — an illness
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pit — in a race
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bore — to drill

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