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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pop — to visit
  3. last — finally
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fall — the season
  7. last — to go on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — for digging
  10. season — in sport
  11. pop — soda
  12. season — of the year
  13. pit — in a race
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. last — final
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pit — a hole
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pop — music
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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