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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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Word bank
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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: rule · key · nail · bat · hand · present · chair · stem

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rule — government
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. key — the most important part
  6. hand — help
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stem — to come from
  10. present — the time now
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rule — a law
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. key — in music
  24. present — a gift

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