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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. last — to go on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. suit — to fit
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. suit — in cards
  14. rule — government
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. suit — clothes
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. foot — a measure
  24. rule — a law

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