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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. court — of a king
  3. fine — high quality
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. season — of the year
  13. rash — hasty
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — the month
  18. rash — a series
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. tear — from crying
  22. season — in sport
  23. fine — all right
  24. tear — to rip

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