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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. kid — to tease
  4. court — of a king
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rule — a law
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. court — for sport
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. kid — child
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. race — a contest

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