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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pit — a hole
  5. key — in music
  6. cap — a hat
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cap — a lid
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stock — goods
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. drill — army training
  23. stock — shares
  24. mark — a grade

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