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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. last — finally
  4. rule — government
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. press — newspapers
  8. firm — a company
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. content — the amount
  11. press — to push
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. firm — steady
  15. wind — moving air
  16. last — to go on
  17. firm — decided
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rule — a law
  22. last — final
  23. press — a publisher
  24. content — happy

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