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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. object — to protest
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — to come from
  12. object — a thing
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cold — not warm
  16. object — an aim
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rule — a law
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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