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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stem — to come from
  7. game — a match
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. game — wild animals
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stock — goods
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pit — a hole
  15. lean — thin
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lean — to bend
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. spell — magic
  20. stock — shares
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spell — letters

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