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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rest — a break
  8. land — ground
  9. pit — a hole
  10. land — to come down
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rule — a law
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rule — government
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mate — a friend
  24. land — a country

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