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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ground — crushed
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bass — low music
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. face — to confront
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rule — government
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rule — a law
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stem — to come from
  23. snap — to click
  24. bass — the instrument

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