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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 124 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pit — in a race
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. current — electric
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. current — happening now
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. current — of water
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. file — a document

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