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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mark — a trace
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mark — a grade
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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