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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. court — for sport
  8. band — a music group
  9. stem — to come from
  10. court — of law
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. band — a ring
  17. net — for catching
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stand — to bear
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. net — in sport
  24. court — of a king

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