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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mug — a cup
  4. court — for sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. charge — a price
  7. swing — in golf
  8. squash — the sport
  9. charge — electricity
  10. swing — music
  11. court — of a king
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. swing — to play on
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. stem — to come from
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mug — a face
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. charge — in control
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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