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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cue — for pool
  5. last — final
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cue — a hint
  16. ground — a position
  17. last — finally
  18. cap — a lid
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. cap — a hat
  24. land — ground

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