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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. march — the month
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. current — happening now
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mark — a trace
  9. march — music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lie — to recline
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. current — of water
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. current — electric
  19. march — the month
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. board — a committee
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mark — a grade

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