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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. present — a gift
  3. last — finally
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. last — to go on
  6. net — after costs
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. net — in sport
  9. present — there
  10. stock — shares
  11. pass — a permit
  12. net — for catching
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stem — to come from
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. stock — goods
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. present — the time now
  24. bulb — for light

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