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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ground — crushed
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. firm — steady
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mate — to breed
  12. fall — the season
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wound — an injury
  15. firm — decided
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. rule — a law
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rule — government
  23. firm — a company
  24. mate — a friend

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