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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bear — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rush — hurry
  24. file — a line of people

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