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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. swing — to play on
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — help
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. swing — music
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pit — a hole
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cabinet — ministers

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