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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rule — a law
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rule — government
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. snap — to click
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pop — soda
  10. stem — to come from
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ground — a position
  14. pop — music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rash — a series
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rash — hasty
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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