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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. rule — to rule out
  2. drill — a practice
  3. stem — to come from
  4. dip — to sink
  5. drill — army training
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. content — the amount
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rule — a law
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rule — government
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. content — happy
  23. dip — to dunk
  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