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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. last — to go on
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. last — final
  8. rest — a break
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rest — what's left
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. last — finally
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. net — after costs
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bear — the animal

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