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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. court — of a king
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. snap — to click
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. court — of law
  15. pitch — completely
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. prune — to trim
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. chip — in a computer

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