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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. present — the time now
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rule — a law
  5. march — music
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cue — a signal
  9. race — a contest
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cue — for pool
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. march — the month
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — a gift
  18. chair — a leader
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. present — there
  22. march — the month
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stem — to come from

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