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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rash — hasty
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. degree — temperature
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. saw — the tool
  24. toast — bread

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