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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. land — a country
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. land — to come down
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pit — in a race
  14. land — ground
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — high quality
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. roll — a list
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stem — of a plant

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