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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. current — happening now
  3. kick — in football
  4. file — a document
  5. current — electric
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. file — a tool
  9. rule — a law
  10. current — of water
  11. rule — government
  12. file — a line of people
  13. court — of a king
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stem — to come from
  18. court — for sport
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. court — of law

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