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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pound — a weight
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lean — thin
  8. pit — in a race
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. last — finally
  12. stock — shares
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. file — a document
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — final
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. lean — to bend
  22. last — to go on
  23. pit — a hole
  24. stock — goods

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