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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. season — in sport
  3. capital — a city
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — of the year
  10. fall — to drop
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wound — an injury
  13. staff — employees
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. staff — employees
  16. stem — to come from
  17. staff — a stick
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fall — the season
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. capital — money
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rule — to rule out

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