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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. race — a contest
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stem — to come from
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. court — for sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. race — humankind
  21. bulb — for light
  22. court — of law
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bulb — of a plant

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