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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rule — a law
  4. saw — the tool
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rule — government
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bass — low music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. stem — to come from
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. saw — the tool
  24. straw — dry grass

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