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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. last — to go on
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. last — finally
  5. net — after costs
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rest — a break
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. ground — the earth
  12. net — for catching
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. last — final
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ground — crushed
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. net — in sport
  22. ground — a position
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rest — what's left

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