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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. court — of law
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wind — moving air
  15. court — of a king
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wind — moving air

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