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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 124 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rule — a law
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. race — a contest
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. toast — bread
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. land — a country
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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