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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rule — government
  6. race — the arms race
  7. land — ground
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fall — to drop
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. roll — a list
  20. deal — to handle
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fall — the season

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