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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. last — final
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. last — to go on
  10. rock — music
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bound — tied together
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bound — obliged
  22. last — finally
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bound — certain

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