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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. march — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pop — music
  8. march — the month
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. march — the month
  21. court — for sport
  22. stem — to come from
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stem — a stem cell

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