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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rock — music
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rule — government
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. snap — to click
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stem — to come from
  14. shower — rain
  15. rock — a stone
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rule — a law
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stem — of a plant

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