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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hand — help
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. charge — in control
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. charge — electricity
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. degree — from a university
  18. charge — a price
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cell — in biology
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mug — a cup
  24. court — for sport

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