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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. court — of law
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. file — a tool
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rest — a break
  21. file — a document
  22. clip — a video
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stand — to bear

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