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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. suit — clothes
  3. stock — goods
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. suit — in cards
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — for sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rule — government
  13. field — farmland
  14. suit — to fit
  15. rule — a law
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — a subject
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stock — shares
  24. bat — the animal

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