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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pass — a permit
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. track — a path
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stem — to come from
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mate — a friend
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. track — a song
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mate — a partner
  21. track — to keep track
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. court — of law

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