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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. object — an aim
  4. cell — in biology
  5. suit — to fit
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cell — a phone
  16. object — a thing
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. last — to go on
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. object — to protest
  21. suit — in cards
  22. stem — to come from
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ruler — for measuring

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