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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitch — completely
  6. degree — an amount
  7. season — in sport
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. degree — from a university
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. court — for sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. tear — from crying
  24. season — of the year

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