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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rule — government
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rule — a law
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. vault — a safe
  7. snap — to click
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. spell — letters
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. field — a subject
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stock — goods
  18. mug — a face
  19. field — for sport
  20. stock — shares
  21. spell — a short time
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. field — farmland

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