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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pass — a permit
  4. root — of a word
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. march — the month
  7. race — a contest
  8. land — a country
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fork — in a road
  12. toast — bread
  13. root — of a plant
  14. land — ground
  15. stem — to come from
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. land — to come down
  22. root — the cause
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. march — music

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