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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mug — to rob
  3. chest — a box
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rule — government
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mug — a face
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. date — the fruit
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rule — a law
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mug — a cup
  24. straw — a straw man

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