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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. press — to push
  9. rule — government
  10. rest — what's left
  11. press — newspapers
  12. sharp — clever
  13. field — for sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. field — farmland
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. field — a subject
  22. stem — to come from
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rest — a break

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