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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. stem — to come from
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. chair — a leader
  7. board — a committee
  8. mark — a grade
  9. shower — to wash
  10. board — to get on
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. shower — rain
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rule — government
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. spring — of water
  20. rule — a law
  21. spring — the season
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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