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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. last — to go on
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rush — hurry
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rock — a stone
  17. last — finally
  18. rock — music
  19. object — a thing
  20. last — final
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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