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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. toast — bread
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. wind — moving air
  11. board — to get on
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. board — a committee
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stem — to come from
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wind — moving air
  22. date — the fruit
  23. toast — the most admired
  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