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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stem — to come from
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — finally
  5. fall — the season
  6. face — part of the head
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pit — in a race
  10. face — to point toward
  11. last — to go on
  12. key — the most important part
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. last — final
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. fall — to drop
  20. face — to confront
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. key — in 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