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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. last — final
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. file — a document
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rush — hurry
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. stem — to come from
  12. file — a line of people
  13. last — finally
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. file — a tool
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. last — to go on
  24. kick — in football

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