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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bound — certain
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rock — music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. band — a ring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. band — a music group
  15. rule — government
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rule — a law
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. stem — of a plant

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