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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rash — a series
  3. march — music
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fine — all right
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mark — a trace
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. march — the month
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. march — the month

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