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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ball — a dance
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bore — to drill
  12. capital — a city
  13. rest — a break
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. capital — money
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stem — a stem cell

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