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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. court — of a king
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wake — a trail
  6. key — the most important part
  7. court — of law
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. key — for a lock
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. key — in music

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