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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fine — all right
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pass — a permit
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. kick — in football
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. drill — army training
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. drill — the tool

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