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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. suit — clothes
  3. rest — a break
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rest — what's left
  6. court — of law
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bass — low music
  9. suit — in cards
  10. band — a ring
  11. current — happening now
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. court — of a king
  17. bass — the fish
  18. face — to confront
  19. rest — what's left
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bass — the instrument

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