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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. last — finally
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — to come from
  7. last — to go on
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. last — final
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pass — a permit
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rule — government
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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