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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. march — music
  6. rest — what's left
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rest — a break
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rest — what's left
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stem — to come from
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rush — hurry
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. march — the month

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