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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stem — to come from
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mug — to rob
  13. firm — decided
  14. bat — the animal
  15. firm — steady
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. board — to get on
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mug — a cup
  20. march — the month
  21. mug — a face
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. march — music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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