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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. rule — a law
  4. court — of law
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stem — to come from
  8. present — there
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. game — wild animals
  12. court — of a king
  13. game — a match
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rule — government
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. present — a gift
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. court — for sport
  22. present — the time now
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. jam — in traffic

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