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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rule — a law
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rule — government
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wound — an injury
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chair — to sit on

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