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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. track — a path
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pitch — completely
  6. court — of law
  7. lean — to bend
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. court — for sport
  18. track — a song
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lean — thin
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hand — help
  24. stem — to come from

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