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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. land — to come down
  4. rest — what's left
  5. land — ground
  6. rest — a break
  7. plane — a tool
  8. land — a country
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chair — a leader
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stem — to come from
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mark — a grade

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