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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. board — to get on
  5. court — of law
  6. last — final
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. last — to go on
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pit — in a race
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. last — finally
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. board — a committee
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bat — the animal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. prune — to trim

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