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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wake — a trail
  7. board — a committee
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — a path
  11. lie — to recline
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. board — to get on
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. track — a song
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. track — to keep track
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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