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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. firm — a company
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. degree — temperature
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. firm — decided
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. snap — to click

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