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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 120 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rule — a law
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chest — of your body
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. suit — clothes
  15. swing — to play on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ground — a position
  18. rule — government
  19. chest — a box
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pass — a permit
  24. ground — the earth

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