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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cold — not warm
  6. tear — to rip
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. roll — a cake
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mate — to breed
  14. roll — a list
  15. court — of a king
  16. mate — a partner
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — an illness
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. court — for sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. stem — to come from

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