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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. track — a path
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rule — a law
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rule — government
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stem — to come from
  21. kick — in football
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. track — a song
  24. stem — a stem cell

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