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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. date — the fruit
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. charge — a price
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. race — a contest
  11. cue — for pool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. race — humankind
  14. row — a line
  15. charge — in control
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stem — to come from
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — a signal

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