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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: shower · kid · race · rest · pit · pop · stem · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pop — soda
  4. present — there
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. race — the arms race
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. shower — rain
  12. present — a gift
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. shower — to wash
  16. race — a contest
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pop — music
  22. pit — a hole
  23. race — humankind
  24. kid — to tease

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