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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. last — to go on
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. board — to get on
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. current — electric
  15. last — finally
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. current — happening now
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. last — final
  22. pitch — completely
  23. current — of water
  24. jam — in traffic

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