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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mate — a friend
  4. swing — to play on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. root — the cause
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stem — to come from
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mate — a partner
  15. swing — music
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pit — in a race
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. dip — to sink
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. swing — in golf

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