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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stem — to come from
  3. court — of law
  4. race — a contest
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mug — a face
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rock — music
  12. court — for sport
  13. wake — a trail
  14. court — of a king
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. race — humankind
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wound — an injury

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