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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. march — the month
  7. rule — a law
  8. snap — to click
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. march — music
  12. rule — government
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fine — all right

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