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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. charge — electricity
  5. perch — the fish
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. court — of law
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. court — of a king
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. staff — a stick
  15. charge — a price
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stem — to come from
  24. charge — in control

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