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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. file — a document
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. roll — a cake
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stock — goods
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. stock — shares
  21. stem — to come from
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pit — a hole

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