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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fall — the season
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. clip — to cut
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cue — for pool
  11. clip — a video
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cue — a signal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fall — to drop
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stand — on your feet

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