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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 120 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. ground — a position
  4. court — of a king
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bound — certain
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ground — crushed
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. field — a subject
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. field — for sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. field — farmland
  24. mate — a partner

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