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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hand — help
  6. march — music
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. staff — a stick
  10. rule — a law
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. hand — in cards
  13. staff — employees
  14. bound — certain
  15. plane — a tool
  16. toast — bread
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. staff — employees
  19. bound — obliged
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rule — government
  24. march — the month

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