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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rule — a law
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pop — music
  7. last — finally
  8. mug — a cup
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rule — government
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mug — a face
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pop — soda
  20. last — final
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mug — to rob

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