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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. court — of a king
  7. pitch — completely
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. court — for sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. sharp — clever
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. capital — money
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. capital — a city
  24. branch — of a bank

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