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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stem — to come from
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rule — a law
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mug — a cup
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — to rob
  24. arm — part of the body

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