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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. row — a line
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fork — in a road
  12. swing — in golf
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stem — to come from
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. swing — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. fork — a garden tool

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