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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. chest — a box
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pass — a permit
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rule — government
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. race — a contest
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chest — of your body

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