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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. march — the month
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rule — government
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ground — the earth
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ground — a position
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. press — newspapers
  15. march — music
  16. lie — to recline
  17. clip — a video
  18. march — the month
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rule — a law
  21. press — to push
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. clip — to cut

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