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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rush — hurry
  4. race — a contest
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bulb — for light
  10. race — humankind
  11. rule — government
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rule — a law
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bulb — for light
  19. row — to paddle
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pop — soda
  22. row — a line
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pop — music

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