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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mug — a face
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rule — government
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mug — to rob
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — a cup

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