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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. snap — to click
  6. rule — government
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rule — a law
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chair — a leader
  24. ball — a great time

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