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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. fine — high quality
  3. stand — to bear
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. last — final
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fine — all right
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. last — finally

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