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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rule — a law
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mark — a trace
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. date — the fruit
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stem — to come from
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bulb — for light
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rule — government
  23. mark — a grade
  24. straw — a straw man

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