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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · cue · chair · suit · race · stem · cold · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. suit — clothes
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stem — to come from
  7. race — the arms race
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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