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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. can — a tin
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. kid — to tease
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. march — the month
  7. kid — child
  8. stem — to come from
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. can — a tin
  15. lie — to recline
  16. plane — a tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rule — a law
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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