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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. court — of a king
  3. suit — clothes
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. drill — army training
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. ground — a position
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. court — of law
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wind — moving air
  22. suit — to fit
  23. court — for sport
  24. wind — moving air

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