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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. court — for sport
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. court — of a king
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. rash — a series
  15. cell — in biology
  16. court — of law
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rash — on the skin

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