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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. fall — to drop
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rest — a break
  6. cap — of ice
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pit — in a race
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fall — the season
  17. stem — to come from
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rest — what's left
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cap — a lid

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