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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. craft — boats
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. kid — child
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rock — a stone
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mark — a grade
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mark — to pay attention

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