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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. club — for dancing
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. date — the fruit
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. press — to push
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pit — in a race
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. club — for golf
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. press — newspapers
  19. dip — to sink
  20. club — a group
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young 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