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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rest — a break
  5. fine — high quality
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. capital — a city
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pound — a weight
  10. stem — to come from
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fine — all right
  19. capital — money
  20. rule — government
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fall — the season

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