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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. stem — to come from
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — boats
  10. rule — government
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rash — a series
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kick — in football
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rule — a law
  24. perch — the fish

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