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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · stem · pit · mark · toast · cold · safe · temple

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cold — an illness
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cold — not warm
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. toast — bread
  20. pit — a hole
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. temple — side of the head

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