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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mate — a partner
  4. land — to come down
  5. stem — to come from
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spell — letters
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. spell — a short time
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cold — an illness
  16. land — a country
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cold — not warm
  20. land — ground
  21. spell — magic
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rule — a law

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