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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mug — a face
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bound — certain
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rule — a law
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mug — to rob
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bound — tied together
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. coach — a trainer

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