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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — to go on
  4. stem — to come from
  5. present — the time now
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ball — a dance
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ball — a great time
  12. last — finally
  13. key — the most important part
  14. kick — in football
  15. rule — government
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rule — a law
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. key — in music
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. last — final
  24. ball — a round shape

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