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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stem — to come from
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ground — the earth
  11. capital — a city
  12. ground — a position
  13. shower — rain
  14. rule — a law
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mate — a friend
  18. ground — crushed
  19. swing — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. capital — money
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rule — government

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