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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. court — of a king
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. press — to push
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bark — to shout
  13. court — of law
  14. root — of a word
  15. press — newspapers
  16. root — the cause
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cue — a hint
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. root — of a plant

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